


A Place to Call Home

by HyperKid



Series: Modern AU [8]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Crack, Fluff, Found Family, Other, abduct all the beans, no regrets, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26852041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: Mollymauk Tealeaf isn’t used to people being able to see right through him. This is his first time meeting Marion Lavorre.
Relationships: Background PolyNein
Series: Modern AU [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545967
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	A Place to Call Home

**Author's Note:**

> HK: I’m not late you’re late.  
> Mollymauk: Pretty sure that’s you?  
> HK: Shhhhh. AO3 doesn’t know yet I’ll count it.  
> Mollymauk: By that logic you could just do any date.  
> HK: I haven’t gone to bed yet so it’s not a new day!  
> Mollymauk: Well by that logic you have a few more hours.  
> HK: Hush. Anyway, today was a Struggle day so I went with a short prompt from one of you lovely people! Marion and Molly hanging out.  
> Mollymauk: Lovely lady.  
> HK: She really is. The softest. 
> 
> WARNINGS!! References to social issues? Molly and Beau?
> 
> Disclaimer: I still own nothing! It’s a travesty

Marion Lavorre crossed one leg over the other, her fingers delicately cradling her wine glass, and levelled a piercing stare at her guest. 

“And you are a friend of my daughter?” She asked softly, her voice almost dangerously sweet. Not that they seemed to care, grinning back and raising their own glass. 

“That’d be one way to put it. She’s been singing your praises as long as we’ve known her.” 

A more genuine smile spread across her lips and she inclined her head elegantly. Jester always made her smile, even in her absence. 

“She is a treasure,” Marion agreed, taking a delicate sip of her wine. 

Across the table, Mollymauk Tealeaf spread their hands, grinning broadly. 

“Preaching to the choir. Of course, she does have a penchant for exaggeration.” There was just a hint of a challenge in their voice that made Marion pause. 

A perfectly sculpted brow rose, her glass stilled at her lips. 

“Exaggeration?” 

Oh, definitely a teasing challenge in that grin. She’d seen this type before. Taking another delicate sip of her wine, she set her glass back on the table. 

“Am I supposed to take offence and offer to prove you wrong?” She asked sweetly, gold eyes piercing red. 

Molly hesitated for a moment, just a little uncertainty in their eyes. Then they grinned wider and shrugged. 

“Well I wouldn’t say no if you were offering, but I am a little strapped for cash. How about some lascivious stories instead?” 

Somewhat to her own surprise, Marion chuckled softly and let her fingers trace the stem of her wine glass. 

“You’ve traveled with my daughter, and not heard every lascivious story under the sun? That doesn’t seem likely,” she teased gently, her tail tapping theirs lightly beneath the table. 

She could feel the minuscule twitch of surprise, and putting that together with her other pieces, she felt like she had a good understanding of the tiefling before her. The only question was how long she should play with them before clearing the air. 

Molly played the moment off well, shrugging demurely and giving her a sidelong glance most couldn’t catch in pupil-less eyes. Harder to hide from someone who had them herself. 

“Funnily enough, her stories are never specific to your good self. There must be some things you know that she doesn’t?” They leaned in, resting their weight on arms folded on the table in front of them. Their tail rose behind them, cocking through figure eights and purely coincidentally out of reach of her own. 

Resisting the laugh this time was a little harder. Marion let the smile go instead, leaning back in her seat and taking another sip of wine. 

“And how far would I get in this story before you found a way to duck out of that as well?” 

Again, Molly hesitated just a fraction. Just barely long enough to spot, certainly too fast for anyone less used to reading body language. Maybe they’d pull out another flirty defence. 

Red eyes darted across her face, trying to read her. Marion cocked a brow, her smile slowly spreading. 

She was impressed when Molly sat back, both hands in the air. 

“Alright, you win. I’m not used to meeting my friends’ parents, so I’m a little out of my depth.” And then they grinned again, sharp and full of shared humour. “And you’re no ordinary lady.” 

Honesty. She could raise a glass to that. She let herself relax in turn, throwing back the last of her wine and discarding the glass on the table. 

Still... there was something not quite right about the confession. Not a lie, but some sadness in their eyes that felt like the beginning of a story. Marion considered them for a long moment, perfectly manicured nails drumming on the edge of the table. 

Normally, if they weren’t a client, she wouldn’t bother looking too deep for anything more than her curiosity. There were so many stories, so many people walking deep and complex paths. She couldn’t know all of them. 

But this... this was one of Jester’s friends. That had to count for a little more. 

For a client, she had a list of questions about anything they would like to discuss, and what would be off limits. It helped to have a clear set of boundaries, and might be worth employing some of the same caution here. She had no interest in alienating her daughter’s friends. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, Mollymauk... why are you so uncomfortable that I am Jester’s mother?” A little more blunt than she usually preferred to be, but they only had so much time. And if there was any chance it’d be a danger for Jester, she wouldn’t hesitate. 

As expected, the question instantly put Molly’s guard up. They froze like a trapped animal and she raised a hand, cutting them off before they could lie. Or run. 

“You need not answer, of course. I will not ask again. Just... if there is something I could do to make you more comfortable. I doubt it’s my profession which has you so on edge.” 

That made the other tiefling smile again, their hackles settling just a little. They shrugged, leaning back in their seat, this time with arms and legs crossed. Uncomfortable even if they weren’t sure why. 

“Shall we say I’m... not familiar with the usual parenting model? Or the whole happy home thing. I’m not sure what to expect. For all she talks about you all the time, Jester hasn’t said much about her own home life and I’m not sure what’s going on.” 

Even watching him closely, Marion wasn’t sure exactly what they meant, but... what little she could read made her heart ache. It wasn’t an unusual story, even now. Even Nicodranas was full of orphans, and those from unsafe homes. 

There was only so much she could do. But... her smile softened and she uncrossed her legs, reaching across the table to rest her hand on their elbow. 

“Whatever it means, for so long as you would like, you are welcome here. As long as this is still Jester’s home it will be yours too. Perhaps not the usual model, but as much as you would like to, we shall make our own. Yes?” 

Red eyes stayed fixed on her fingers for a long moment before travelling slowly up her arm to her face. Mollymauk still looked... lost, uncertain, but the defensiveness was leaking away. They stared at her, trying to read her expression, and Marion let her smile show her earnestness. 

For a long moment, she worried they would cry. 

** 

Down in the bar, Jester kept shooting worried looks to the stairs. 

“Molly really should be here by now,” she sighed, sprawling across the table and burying her face in her arms, “we’re gonna be late.” 

Across the table, Fjord and Beau exchanged looks. Beau raised an eyebrow and Fjord grimaced. 

“You don’t think...” 

“You think they’re fuckin’ housetrained? Yasha found them in a box,” Beau snorted, folding her arms and doing her best not to think about it. 

Fjord groaned and shook his head. 

“They wouldn’t though. Not Jester’s mother.” 

Just as Jester’s head whipped up, eyes narrowing in a glare, Molly finally appeared. They seemed slightly stunned, making their way down the stairs and finally beginning to make their way across the bar. 

Jester shot up like a rocket, maybe just a little possessive as she hurried to greet them, catching their arm to direct them to the table. 

“Molly! What took you so long, are you alright?” 

Shaking their head, Molly gave her a slightly perplexed frown. 

“I think your mother just adopted me?” They said slowly, looking around the table. Their eyes locked on Beau and a sudden grin stole across their lips. Rounding the table, they caught her by the arm and tugged her up. “Come on, asshole.” 

“Hey!” Beau yelled, yanked almost out of her chair before she caught her feet, “What the fuck!” 

Molly grinned and began tugging her back towards the stage. 

“The Ruby of the Sea can smell mommy issues so she’s gonna have a great time with you.” 

“HEY!” 

The rest of the party hesitated for a moment, watching Molly semi-successfully wrestle Beau across the bar. Jester’s shoulders settled and she grinned, glancing around at the others. 

“Wanna go watch?” 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: I’m gonna try to go til the 7 just to make the first week, but... I have Magic Lube Thursday for this month, and a lotta stuff to finish and it turns out daily snippets are bad for that. Gonna try and finish more from the pile instead and hit prompts as they please me!


End file.
